Senses
by Written Parody
Summary: Five short drabbles about how the members of the gaang experience Zutara, each through a different sense. Birthday fic for DefyGravity2502. T for very, very mild suggestions.
1. Taste

**AN: ****Happy Birthday, Deffie! (It's about 12:01 AM down here =P). I know I usually ask you what you want but this year this just popped into my mind so forcefully I couldn't ignore it. I hope you like it even a little bit. If not, feel free to request something else or ask for changes etc. It is, after all, your birthday gift and thus I want it to be perfect. There ARE GOING TO BE TYPOS. It's late and I'm tired so… But I promise to fix them ASAP. Sorry it's so short, too. There's only so much I can write on this type of topic :/ **

**Also, please just note that none of these follow a set time pattern or anything like that. Each one is just… there. All post-war, though. **

**Disclaimer: Avatar is Bryke's. This fic is Deffie's. Happy Birthday! **

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><p><span>1. Taste <span>

You know, people are actually ignorant. They think that the same type of food tastes the same at all times. They also think that people who love food and eating are fat idiots who know nothing else. This is not the truth.

For one thing, I love to eat. Eating is wonderful. It is needed and it is pleasurable and food is one of the very best things in life. And just because I love eating does not mean that I know nothing about anything else. I can hunt, for example. And now that I've had even more time to train with Master Piandao I am a very competent warrior. I know about Water Tribe rituals and Kyoshi culture (even though I suppose that's mainly because Suki literally beats it into me) and so it's obvious that I'm nowhere near idiotic. My instincts have also honed themselves in the few months since the war has ended and so they're really strong now.

I can also tell you that food differs almost every time you eat it. You might still be eating sea prunes, but they'll taste different if you eat them together with your family than they will if you eat them while out on a lonesome hunting trip. This difference is owed to many factors. These included the seasons, the tree if its fruit you're talking about, the place you find it, the quality and so on and so forth. And, yeah, another one of them is the person who cooks the food. I'm a guy, okay? I'll never even attempt to sell the fact that I can cook better than my sister.

But it's not only the skill of the cook that plays a roll. It's also the mood of the cook. I can tell you with every conviction of my instinct that Katara's rice tastes better when she's happy than when she's mad. The difference is very, very subtle- almost not there. But to someone like me who has eaten and appreciated food for so long it's there. That's why I always prefer to appease Katara before any meal time- it's in my best interests as well as my stomach's. But, unfortunately, this logic has never really sunk into other people's brains- not even hers- and so my appeasement hasn't helped sometimes. And lately it seems that nothing I do can keep the sting out of her food.

In fact, now that I think about it, her food hasn't been happy since round about the end of the war. The taste changed from rich and love-filled as soon as Zuko joined our group. That was to be expected, of course- she hated his guts. We all did but Katara… Wow. She was something else. And that anger and hate showed in her food. The first night he stayed there with us her food was so spicy I swear I burned every bit of my digestive system. It got less angry as time progressed, but it never really went back to Calm Katara food.

I did try and talk her out of hating him- I was missing her scrumptious concoctions and Zuko proved himself to me when he helped me save my dad and my girlfriend. But it just made her angrier so I gave up. And then Zuko came to me and asked me how _he _could make her less angry and although the things he asked me to remember were… horrible… I did it. Because I owed him. And because I wanted the good food again.

What? After a few weeks of Angry Katara food you get desperate, okay?

I don't know what they did when they rode off on Appa together. My instinct has made it clear that I shouldn't ask. But when they came back Katara's food changed again. Strangest part is it didn't change to Calm Katara food again. It turned into… something new. Something I'd never actually tasted before. It lost its bitter, hate-filled taste and became sweeter, richer, warmer in a way. But there was also a hint of something else in it that I couldn't- and still can't- place. Some… secret ingredient that her soul was subconsciously pouring into her cooking.

The new type of food continued even as stress of the coming comet crushed all of the air out of our lungs. I wanted to ask her about it but I knew she wouldn't understand. She would probably even get mad. So I kept quiet, ate the food, and planned our invasion on the Fire Nation. It was great-tasting food, anyway, so I had no reason to complain. It only really changed the time we stopped to rest Appa as we flew to try and locate Aang. That night her food was tinged with guilt and worry and the hints of pure fear. But all of us felt that way. Even Zuko, who had tried to comfort Katara. The guy's not great with words, especially not comforting ones. But it gave the rest of us something to tease and smile about. Katara didn't tease too much, just smiled in this weird way that somehow reminded me of her new food.

Then the final battle happened and even I didn't have enough time to eat. The only taste I can remember having is bile and adrenalin at the back of my throat. It was constantly there, constantly a reminder that at any second we could die. For long, killing moments I'd been sure I'd never see Suki again. But the spirits were kind to us, and Aang kicked The Loser Lord's butt. The food I next ate was not Katara's but some kindly Fire Nation lady who was making mounds of food to feed any hungry soldier or civilian nearby. Her food tasted hurried- which was understandable- and almost overripe with pure joy. It tasted nice, I will admit.

And for the next few days the food we ate was either luxurious feast-food made by the Fire Nation servants or quick on-the-go things because we had to get to meetings or negotiations or signings or whatever. In fact, the next time Katara cooked for us was almost three weeks later when we all went to Ba Sing Se to visit Iroh before all of us headed home. Her food was a surprise to me. It was the same unknown type as before in the Temple except… Stronger. Like somebody had kick-started whatever feeling thing it was that she poured into her food and made it sour to new heights. The food was really divine and she served it with a smile. And a little while later I saw her kissing Aang. I wasn't too happy about it, but I suppose if anybody could have my sister it's the guy who saved the whole world. And I thought then that I'd figured out the mystery behind the taste of Katara's food. It was love. The emotion really did fit.

But I was proved wrong after we went back home. Aang came with us and they kissed and cuddled (although not too much or I'd intervene. She's still my sister, okay?) and everything else but her food changed again. The emotion I'd thought was loved diminished quite rapidly even as Aang stayed by her side. At first her food… This is going to sound crazy but it tasted guilty. And betrayed. But now… Now it's different again, and we've only been home a month.

Now it tastes… Hold on, let me take another bite…

Yeah. It has the hint of exotic spice in it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was desperately longing for the Fire Nation and all it holds.


	2. Smell

2. Smell

Sometimes in a battle smell is all you have. The first thing you learn as a warrior is to utilize all your senses. Every one of them must be strong so you are never left vulnerable if one is taken away from you. If your enemy takes away your sight, your hearing must be good enough to see him. But all warriors know the strength that lies in senses, and thus all of them try and take it away. A quick dash of sand to your opponent's eyes to leave them blind. A loud crash near their ears to leave their hearing impaired for a while. A jab to the jaw to make sure the only taste they have is of sweat and maybe blood. Then all you have left is the feel of the weapon in your hand and your smell. You have to be able to smell the sweat and violence and, possibly, fear of your opponent. You must be able to smell everything, or you are doomed.

It's because of this training that I can pick up every person's unique smell with ease. For instance, I can smell Sokka from about a mile away. Although that might just be saying something about his lack of hygiene. But most days he smells faintly of the fat the Water Tribe people use to keep their weapons from rusting, cooked meat and his own personal body scent which I can't describe and which actually smells a whole lot better than it sounds. And, just like with Sokka, I know the smell of every member of my little adopted family. Not only does this help me in battles or training exercises but it also makes me feel… safe. Like the smell of the Kyoshi Warrior's facepaint used to in the old days. Their smells are the smells of home and love and safety.

That's one of the reasons I feel so unsettled when they change their smells. Even though the war is over we're traveling around a lot and although I'm not scared or worried about the new places we go to it's so much nicer when the things that make you feel at home remain constant. The first person to change her smell was, surprisingly, Toph. It's surprising because for as long as I've known her she's never been cleaner than a moderate patch of earth. And so she's always smelled of earth; dirt, soil, fallen rubble and leaves. Until she was set to reunite with her family. Then she smelled of expensive soap and new clothes and some very odd perfume and new leather shoes. Her new getup didn't stop her from attacking Sokka when he burst out laughing but it felt… wrong to see such a prissily dressed rich girl pummeling my boyfriend.

And her change in smell upset all of us; none of us really knew how to act around the sweetly scented, smartly dressed, polite Miss Bei Fong. Luckily she lasted only three days before cracking, laying down the 'I am who I am' law to her parents and returning to her earth-caked green getup. And so balance was restored. For a while.

Next to change was Aang. This time I'd seen it coming, though, so I wasn't so completely thrown. With Sokka things flowed naturally from stage to stage; not too fast, but not painfully slow. He and I got to know each other's body language and life rhythms and although he can be really dense sometimes (bless him) and rather annoying (to be fair I have my faults as well) we've always sorted things out quickly and just… moved closer together. But Aang and Katara never really seemed to have this luck. Their kiss at Ba Sing Se was magical and just right and it promised to be the beginning of something that was always meant to be.

But it never got passed the beginning stage. Somehow the sense of awkwardness stayed between them. They never really got their rhythms to match. And they stayed at the I'm-awkwardly-crushing-on-you stage; a mix between young, rash love and family affection. Aang became rather desperate and began looking to Sokka and Toph for help. I don't think I need to explain what an idiotic move that was. But he learnt his lesson. The hard way. Katara spent most of the time trying to avoid him when he started sloshing on copious amounts of the sweet-smelling nectar old, perverted and lonely men wore down at the clubs no decent person went to. Finally I could take his nose intrusion no longer and I gently told him to wash off the ridiculous smell. He looked very dejected, but he followed my advice, thank the spirits. The next day he was back to smelling like soft dust and cloudy days. Although it didn't do anything to make him and Katara take the next relationship step up. This worried me for a while because I thought maybe she would try the same thing and start wearing perfume to try and impress him. But she proved to have more sense and stayed smelling (and looking and acting) exactly the way she always did.

Actually… No… That's not quite right… Now that I think about it, I do remember a time when I was sure Katara's smell changed a bit. At the time I thought I was just being ridiculous. Actually, I'm still very sure I was imagining things. It must have been because Zuko was visiting us en route to King Bumi for more post-war negotiations that I thought it up. But for a second back then I was so sure that Katara smelled of Zuko. Spicy, warm and… Zuko-ish. But, like I said, it was just because he was around that I made the mistake.

Because why on earth would Katara smell like Zuko? He'd have to have held her all night or something like that...


	3. Hear

3. Hear

Alright, we're gonna cut the crap and go straight to the obvious. Because I don't do breaking things gently or being tactful or anything like that and neither am I a complete moron. So I know things that some of my dear 'family' does not know or pretends not to know. Katara and Zuko? Yeah, they're in love with each other. Point blank. Hello, anybody can see that. Except, it seems, those who are closest to the two of them.

It's actually seriously annoying as well as seriously stupid. I mean, every time you so much as hint they like each other it's all fluster and 'What? Oh no I don't! She's just a _friend_. He's not my _type_. Mai this. Aang that.'. And on, and on it goes. You'd have thought that by now _somebody _would have gotten a clue. But no. The end of the war did not change the mentality of the people I associate with.

Okay, so I have a heightened sense of… well, I suppose it's hearing. I can hear emotions better than most people can see them on faces and in eyes. I can hear, through my Earthbending, how Sweetness' heartbeat picks up when she's around him. I can hear how they easily fall into a balanced rhythm after just hours of being with each other. I can hear how her voice is just that much softer, how he tries just that much harder, how their arguments are underlined by something strong that ensures they'll never become enemies again. I 'wait and listen before striking', as that old bat Bumi put it. So I suppose I can't be too annoyed that I seem to be the only one to notice the type of relationship between the Waterbender and the Firelord. But I mean _surely _there must be some signs that those seeing people can pick up on too? Surely they must look at each other differently or smile differently or walk differently or _something_? I refuse to believe that it's only because of my super hearing that I can pick it up.

And even if it is just because of my hearing then only three of them get an excuse. Twinkles is an _Airbender_. He can manipulate the air so he can hear the softest of sounds. And I blooming well taught him how to Earthbend, too. So if it was only because of heightened hearing ability than he should have noticed too. He should have been able to hear the words they whisper to each other when they think nobody is looking. I can only tell they're doing it because their hearts race with adrenalin and a twinge of guilt. If I had Aang's ability I would have eavesdropped the spirit out of those two, and used everything I heard to blackmail and tease them until one of us _died_.

But… maybe his stupidity is chosen. Maybe Aang does know, but he _chooses _to remain oblivious. The guy's a bundle of hope and all that crap but I don't know if that would cover something like this. Not that he should have to cover something like this. I know he likes her and all but honestly this is all just pathetic. He can't ignorance her into loving him back. And I'm not naïve enough to believe that this whole under-the-blanket thing can carry on happening forever. One day somebody else is going to stop and find out. Someday somebody else is going to really _hear _them.

And then I'll be hearing the hearts break.


	4. Touch

4. Touch 

The monks were pretty silent people. I mean, they said what they had to say and they were great teachers and everything but they didn't believe in excess talking. Too much talking binds you to the earth and interrupts your meditation. And so, instead of comforting words they instead gave comforting touches. And, believe it or not, that hand on your arm squeezing to let you know it'll be okay is just as good as an hour-long speech.

This is also one of the things that drew me to Katara in the first place. Yeah, she gives great optimistic speeches. But her real comfort is in her touch. I learnt that the first time she managed to bring me out of the Avatar state. Yeah, her words were soothing and comforting and all but it was her holding my hand that really made the terror sort of alright. She seems to be able to pass through all her love and all her warmth through her fingers. Almost like Firebending, I suppose. And from then on I realized that she too was a touching person; I saw it clearer and clearer as we traveled. I could tell a lot about how she was feeling by her touches- if she was agitated or scared or proud. And I could also tell how she felt about a person by her touches: she only really touches those she likes. Even in battle she hardly ever has any physical contact with her opponents so her contact is limited to those she trusts and loves.

It took her nearly a month to finally lay a hand on Toph's shoulder. I don't think anybody else understood how huge that gesture was- heck, I don't even think they noticed it- but I did, and I understood. Toph was finally truly one of us. Katara trusted her fully, loved her even. And it's not just my imagination or something she grew out of. Even now that the war is over she does not touch those from the Fire Nation. She'll help them, be utterly polite to them, stay with them, laugh with them, feel for them. But she never does more than let her fingers brush against theirs. Because 'Fire Nation' still resides as a deep wound in her heart, and that's something that's going to take a long time to heal.

And when I say 'long time', I'm not kidding. It took her ages and ages to finally touch Zuko. I can understand why she didn't trust him in the beginning but after a while her attitude just became rather ridiculous. After the first day he'd joined us where she'd threatened him and told him to get lost she made sure she was always a very good distance away from him. It was almost like she was keeping herself away just in case she got tempted to establish some physical contact with him. Actually, I remember thinking once that she treated him like he was an open flame. Like she'd touched him once and burned herself s badly that she wasn't ever going to give it half a chance to happen again.

I was actually rather relieved when she finally hugged him. Whatever he'd done while they were away had finally broken down the hatred that was blinding her and she had to accept that he was one of us. Since that day she hasn't minded touching him at all. In fact, Zuko and Iroh are about the only two from the Fire Nation that she touches readily and with well-intended purpose. Zuko more so than Iroh- she's closer to the new Firelord. In actual fact, that stunned Gran Gran to no end the first time all of us got together for a celebration. Gran Gran is a very wise woman, and therefore she knows about Katara's touches. And at one point during the evening she stopped stock-still and gaped at her granddaughter. When she was asked what was wrong she replied, "She really isn't afraid to touch him" while she continued to gape at Katara who had her hand on Zuko's shoulder as they talked together.

I explained to her that they were friends and she gave me this funny look, as though I was left out of some little loop of knowledge that she had access too. But after that she didn't say another word about it. It did make me wonder, for a while, what she thought she saw. So I watched Zuko and Katara a bit closer for a bit after that. I swear I saw Suki doing the same- she even looked like she was _sniffing _Katara at some stage. But anyway. I didn't see anything different. Katara seemed to touch his arm a little bit more than she did with anybody else and it sometimes seemed she wanted her body to be so close to his that they brushed against each other from time to time but that was really just because he's one of her very best friends and they haven't seen each other for ages.

And, anyway, I'm sure she touches people differently according to her relationship with them. I mean, she hardly touches her brother even though everybody knows they love each other as much as the world. And she holds my hand, something she doesn't do with anybody else. So it's only natural that she touches Zuko a little differently than anybody else. Sometimes, though, I wish I could read her touches better so I could see what she was telling him. I sometimes get the feeling there's this little secret they have that they're not telling anybody. And sometimes, just for brief seconds, this silly little worry makes me think the touches she gives him hold more warmth than the ones she gives me do.


	5. See

5. See 

When you've lived a life as long and as full as mine you learn many things. Most are important, but some are more so than others. For me one of the most important things I've ever learnt is that in order to really understand a person, you must see as he sees. This is pretty tricky business let me assure you. And I am not egotistical enough to assume that humble old me could ever really crawl into somebody's head. But I have… developed… some ways in which seeing as the other person sees is made easier. One of the best techniques is actually a very simple one: you must look at the other person's eyes.

Many a great philosopher has claimed that the eyes are the windows to the soul. And who am I to disagree with them? By truly _looking _at another's eyes you can see what they see and even how they see it. And that makes all the difference in the world. That is, of course, if you end up seeing their eyes correctly. I am only human and I have made many mistakes over the years as I tried to see as others saw. Sometimes this mistake was a blessing: where I saw bitterness there was actually joy or forgiveness. Where I saw sadness there was only empathy. And those mistakes saved me and took some weight off of my shoulders, especially when the mistakes were made about dear friends.

I was, however, not always so lucky. The rage and hate and pain and hopelessness I saw in Zuko's eyes was not a misunderstanding on my part. Those emotions were there, and they were so strong and so consuming that I did not have to look hard to find them. I did, however, have to look hard to find the peace and love and goodness inside him. And, on some days, I started to despair that I had lost the little boy who had come up to me and told me he was truly sorry for my loss because he felt it too. I returned from the failed siege of Ba Sing Se in hopes of locking myself away in my nation for the rest of my lonely days. But he saved me. In one afternoon my nephew saved me. And it was because of that, amongst many other reasons, that I wanted to save him for as long as I possibly could.

And it was because of those feelings that seeing what he saw hurt me so very, very much. It was so frustrating that I couldn't change the way he saw the world. I wanted to shake him, sometimes, and force him to see the truth. But he is as stubborn as I once was. We both refused to see anything other than that which our nation and our leader taught us. We were born for one thing and the world was at a lower level than us. We were the greatest, almost spirits come down to earth. I knew he was like me, and I was worried. It had taken the greatest tragedy of my life to open my eyes to the truth- I did not want that to be the case with him as well. He'd already lost so much, been dragged through so much… And thus I tried harder and harder, praying with every chance I got that the spirits would open his eyes without the need for his world to shatter again.

But I am getting far too melancholy now. That is the past, and although I wish to change some things that happened I know I cannot. Permit me to insert a bit of vanity into the truth for a while: I rather believe it was me leaving that really opened Zuko's eyes. Now having your traitor uncle break out of jail and run off to safety is not nearly the same as losing your son in a war you yourself created but I rather think it did the trick. Or perhaps I am wrong and something else cured him of his blindness. I like to think it was the former, though. Just an old man's hope because of the love he has for his adopted son. But whatever the reason, I realized he'd changed as soon as I saw him again. He saw things differently. I could tell as soon as I looked into his eyes that I was seeing him seeing things differently. And it was then that I knew Ozai would be defeated. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. My brother's mindset and his oppression on the world would end because of his son. Zuko would save his nation as he saved me. And I will admit that I have never been prouder or more thankful that the little prince had sought me out in the palace that day so many years ago.

And… well, things happened. The final battle was fought and Avatar Aang was victorious. I do not know the full details of what happened in the Fire Nation- Ba Sing Se was where I was focused- but I know enough to satisfy me. Except about the battle between my niece and my nephew. I wouldn't have even found out about Zuko's new scar if Toph hadn't mentioned it in passing. I truly do wish I could have prevented him from getting scarred yet again. But his eyes remain seeing things in their new light, and so I am at peace about it. I was at peace about everything, in fact, until the first anniversary of peace celebration that was held in the Fire Nation. I left the Dragon in semi-capable (and rather beautiful) hands and returned to my home. Zuko was proud to show me the nation, and I was proud of our people and almost bursting with pride for my nephew. And I can remember thinking that things were finally going right for him. There was no major strife in his life; he'd finally been given his just rewards.

I was proved wrong at supper. Nothing extraordinary happened at all, except for Avatar Aang showing us some rather amusing displays. In fact, I am probably the only one who noticed anything at all amiss. At one stage during the feast I glanced at my nephew to find him talking to Katara. Their conversation seemed normal and they weren't even bickering as they are so prone to do. But suddenly he said something that made her laugh, and the sound of her laughter made him smile. Not smirk or make his lips curl smugly. He gave her a genuine smile. And as he did he got a look in his eyes that I recognized only too well. It was a look I'd seen in my father's eyes when he gazed upon my mother and my brother and I. It was a look I'd seen in Ozai's eyes when he'd first met Ursa before he'd changed into a stranger. It was a look I'd seen reflected in the water as I gazed upon my lovely wife.

And when Katara turned her face away from my nephew to smile quietly at the table I saw that she had the same look in her eyes. I could see without a doubt how they saw each other. And the sight brought with it a rush of great, heart-wrenching sadness as well as heightened delight and fierce hope. The sadness lingered, though. It still does. I was so hoping that the struggles in Zuko's life were all over. But I am also not stupid enough to think that he will give her up because he is facing more strife. He is strong and stubborn and I can see that he sees her as worth it all.

I can only swear silently that I'll be there to help. As always, I shall see him to the end.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>First time writing Iroh. Spirits help me. I got carried away- his was supposed to be the shortest. And after I wrote it I couldn't find things to take out to make it shorter. So my 'let's keep it short in case the probable happens and I screw him up' safety venture has been destroyed. Hope you guys liked those even a little. Xo WP


	6. OoOoO

The blackness was punctured by the dazzling stars and their keeper, the moon, above him. They stared down at him silently but he could not tell if their silence was reprimanding or not. Everywhere else was blackness- he doubted he would see something three feet away from him. And yet, even though he had always been one for roaring brightness, the blackness did not bother him. To make it complete he shut his eyes, letting it wash over him. He didn't need to see anything that was around him. Not yet.

Finally his sharp ears picked up a sound in the pure silence. It was nothing much, nothing startling, but it sent jolts through his body. It was the sound of a sleeping bag being unzipped a few yards away. He needed to hear _everything_ and so he held his breath. The footsteps were lighter than raindrops falling on soil but they pounded as loudly as his heart to him. And then there was an inhale, and every bit of him tensed. Pure silence rested across him again. And he waited.

Fingers gently rested on his ankles, and the air was forced out of his lungs. He kept his eyes closed, still succumbing to the darkness in case it was all a trick of his mind. But the touch came again, this time to his knees. And he felt her body heat as she leant closer and closer to him, her hands using his body as a guideline in the dark. She stopped when she was parallel to him; her feet resting on either side of his, her chest a mere foot away from his being held there by her arms which rested next to his shoulders, her fingers on his neck.

He opened his eyes and a bit of light returned to his world. He heard and felt a shifting above him and suddenly he could see blue. Glorious, wonderful blue that made him miss the ocean and the reflections of the ice in the poles. The blue came closer and closer, as silent as possible. And then she was touching his lips with her own, the best contact he'd had in his life. She let out a happy sigh, breaking the stillness and washing over his body in waves he did not know existed.

She let her body rest on his and he smelled her. A scent he could not describe but craved. And he knew she was smelling spices- she'd told him once that he always smelled of heat. It had perplexed him, before he remembered that the _other woman _smelled of warmth and spices too when he'd kissed her. He'd never noticed, frankly. And he knew he much preferred Water Tribe clothes and the smell of water skin. He felt her fingers trickle up his neck, caressing the side of his cheek that was still whole. And then, ever so gently, she moved to the other side. He didn't know whether to scream or laugh. The silence was suddenly heavy.

She noticed the stiffness in his body and her fingers returned to his neck. An apology broke the heaviness by fluttering into his ear from lips pressed there. And he found himself running his fingers through the most glorious of textures. He wanted to keep them there forever. Her lips returned to his and the night continued to pace towards the day.

Every one of his senses was on fire.


End file.
